Kieran Devaneaux
Kieran Elias Devaneaux (full title: His Imperial Majesty Kieran I of the House of Devaneaux, Emperor of the Imperial Reydovan Empire) (born January 11, 2355 in Belfast, United Republic of Ireland) is a fictional character created by Joshua Underwood in the Star Trek universe. Kieran is based on a character Underwood created in the popular game Phantasy Star Online; he added the history himself. He has been portrayed in art form since the character's inception in 2002. Origins Kieran Devaneaux is the son of the evil Artimus Devaneaux and his wife Anastasia Britanov. On his mother's side, he is the grandson of Mikhail Britanov, nephew to his sons Anatoliy and Vasily, and great-grandson to Britanov's father Alexander, a powerful general himself. His Devaneaux ancestry is a little less flattering, especially due to the actions of his father. In recent days, some have asked if he ever considered renouncing his Devaneaux name because of its connection to Artimus, and if he wanted to his mother's name of Britanov or his wife's name of Taylor. Devaneaux has always replied in the negative, drawing a corollary with his friend and mentor, Joshua Underwood. "Josh did not renounce his name because of family members' evils," he said, "and neither shall I." Born in Ireland, Devaneaux was raised primarily by his mother Anastasia and her father, Mikhail Britanov. Anastasia did not keep secrets from her son, and told him of all of the evils Artimus had committed. She taught him compassion, but also taught him how to fight to defend himself. This would later fuel Kieran's reputation in Imperial military service as a fierce warrior, but also as the gentlest officer in the Empire. In 2371, when he was 16, Kieran returned to Reydovan Prime with his mother, where Artimus had managed to gain an estate near the now-destroyed city of New Valley Forge. Military Service, and a Bond Made Devaneaux joined the Imperial Navy in 2373, and rose through the ranks fairly quickly. In January 2375, he was a Captain-Lieutenant (equivalent of Lieutenant Commander in Starfleet) when he met the woman who would become his wife - seventeen-year-old Celest Taylor. Celest, the daughter of future Admiral Ian Taylor, was her father's aide-de-camp. Kieran became Celest's greatest confidant and friend. Kieran asked her what she thought of him, being the son of the murderer of her family (Artimus' murderous tendencies were well documented, but tolerated by the Emperor); she said that he was too gentle and kind to be a killer like Artimus. They fell in love, and in April 2375 married in a private ceremony. Joshua Underwood was the best man. The Emperor-in-Exile Underwood, recognizing the young man's talents, recommended to Joshmaul that Devaneaux be promoted to the rank of Grand Admiral in May 2376. Joshmaul, influenced by Kieran's father Artimus, the Imperial Chamberlain - who did not know of Kieran's intended betrayal - agreed to Underwood's request. It was within the next six months that they received messages from Reydovan pirate Ethan Neill, who tried to convince them of Joshmaul's treachery. Ethan, who had been exiled five years earlier and was now on the run for hijacking "Project Mothership", opened the eyes of the two most powerful naval officers in the Empire. Aided by Celest's father, Admiral Taylor, Devaneaux and Underwood took anyone who would follow them and escaped from Reydovan Prime onboard Underwood's flagship Absolution, escorted by its specially-built dreadnoughts Immolator and Stormwatch and members of the Chancellor's Grand Fleet, and rendezvoused with Ethan in the Imperial Fringes. Ethan and Underwood both knew of a place they could find refuge, far from Joshmaul's tyranny - the planet Gorak'nar, deep in the Beta Quadrant. In their travels, both Ethan (secretly aided by Underwood after 2375) and the Chancellor had visited Gorak'nar and befriended their wise leader, High Inquisitor Jaeden'laek XVI. Leaving false trails for Joshmaul's minions to follow, the Harbinger Fleet, escorted by elements of the Grand Fleet of the Chancellor, arrived on Gorak'nar on January 16, 2377. There the Marshal took Underwood and Devaneaux before Jaeden'laek, who listened in horror as Ethan told the tales of Joshmaul's evil. Five days later, urged by Jaeden'laek, the three men formed an Imperial Government-in-Exile intended to overthrow Joshmaul. By popular acclaim, both Marshal Neill and Chancellor Underwood declared Devaneaux their Emperor-in-Exile. Devaneaux attempted to refuse, but Underwood urged him to accept, quoting Kahless, the central figure in Klingon lore: "Great men do not seek power, they have power thrust upon them." Thus, Emperor Kieran I of the House of Devaneaux was crowned in exile on Gorak'nar, with Jaeden'laek presiding over the coronation. He remains on Gorak'nar today, waiting for the day he could free his people from both the bloodthirsty Emperor Joshmaul and his own power-mad father, Artimus Devaneaux. Family Kieran Elias Devaneaux married Celest Clarice Taylor, the daughter of Underwood's fleet commander, Admiral Ian Erasmus Taylor, on April 4, 2375; Kieran was 20, Celest 17. Celest later joined Starfleet and rose to the rank of Captain. They have three sons and two daughters; all but Kieran II were born in exile. Kieran often secretly travelled to Earth via freelance freighters passing through the treacherous expanses of Reydovan space to see his wife and children, who currently live under the care of Alexander Britanov and his son Mikhail. *Kieran Elias Devaneaux II (born 2376), Kieran's heir *Dominic Fayhan Devaneaux (born 2378) *Anastasia Catherine Devaneaux (born 2379) *Travis Taylor Devaneaux (born 2380) *Ashleigh Miranda Devaneaux (born 2383) Devaneaux, Kieran